Typography and Font Design Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts related to typography and font design discussed in the lecture.

What does 'sans serif' mean in typography?

Sans serif means 'without serif', referring to fonts that do not have the small lines or decorations at the ends of their strokes.

What is the significance of 'x height' in typography?

X height is the height of the lowercase x and is a crucial determiner of the personality and mood of a typeface.

What is a glyph in typography?

A glyph is an individual expression of a letter form, character, numeral, or punctuation mark.

What is the difference between italic and oblique fonts?

Italic fonts are designed with a slant that incorporates design variations, while oblique fonts are simply slanted mathematically without differentiation in design.

What do the terms 'ascender' and 'descender' refer to?

Ascenders are strokes that extend above the mean line or x height, while descenders are strokes that extend below the baseline.

What is 'kerning' in typography?

Kerning is the horizontal space adjustment between two specific glyphs.

What is 'tracking' in typography?

Tracking refers to the horizontal spacing between a group of glyphs, rather than just two.

How do 'serif' and 'sans serif' fonts differ visually?

Serif fonts have small lines or decorations at their ends, while sans serif fonts do not.

What does 'terminal' refer to in typography?

The terminal is the end of a stroke in a letterform.

What is a 'specimen sheet' in typography?

A specimen sheet is a printed sample provided by type foundries to showcase available type styles and sizes.